Children and adolescents who present with sexually abusive behaviour: A UK descriptive study

The Life Experiences of Adolescent Sexual Offenders: Factors That Contribute to Offending Behaviours

“…According to Borduin, Munschy, Wagner and Taylor (2011), there is a connection between low rates of parental monitoring, high rates of parent-child and interpersonal conflict and violence, high rates of substance abuse, low attachment, low rates of communication and warmth, and low academic performance and socially inept adolescents. As borne out in this and other studies by Vizard et al (2007), these are predisposing factors to sexual offending. Substance abuse constituted a critical problem among the families of the adolescents.…”

“…Parents of these children often have their own mental health problems, have suffered childhood abuse and demonstrate entrenched patterns of domestic violence, which is an independent predictor of later perpetration of sexual offences by male children. Poor parental sexual boundaries have been identified as a risk factor for sexually abusive behaviour by children and as an strong predictor of the early onset of sexually abusive behaviour (Vizard et al, 2007). Parents who abuse their children were themselves, as children, deprived and subject to parental violence.…”

“…These factors include the potential importance of individual developmental factors and the significance of family, peer, school, neighbourhood environments as well as broader structural factors linked to poverty, social exclusion, discrimination and oppression. It is generally assumed that sexual offenders, including juvenile sexual offenders, will commit further sexual offences in the absence of appropriate intervention (Vizard, Hickey, French & McCrory, 2007). There is a need to understand the aetiology of sexual offending in order to find appropriate ways to prevent it.…”

Effects of a short teacher training programme on the management of children's sexual behaviours: a pilot study

“…If harmful sexual behaviours can be identified and support offered early, it could prevent a dysfunctional development. This could result in the prevention of sexual reoffending and reducing the likelihood of children having contact with the criminal justice system (HM Probation, 2013;NSPCC, 2013;Vizard et al, 2007). If schools do not have a holistic understanding of the reasons for a child displaying sexualised behaviours and respond in a punitive manner, this may have a damaging effect on a child's welfare and be detrimental to their developmental needs.…”

Young people, peer-to-peer grooming and sexual offending

“…Fifteen years later, Vizard et al, (2007) reported that between 30 and 50 percent of sexual abuse was perpetrated by adolescents, mostly boys. These figures broadly match those related to on-line forms of sexual offending against children (Finkelhor et al, 2000).…”